Many of us usually stay on top of our email inbox but sometimes life HAPPENS.  Maybe it was an overwhelming work deadline, a long vacation or the flu.  Whatever the reason, the reality now is a terrifyingly full inbox and the need to dig out fast!  Clear email clutter by following these tips.

Search for Unsubscribe

Type ‘unsubscribe’ in the search box to return all emails and newsletters that have ‘unsubscribe’ in the text.   If you’ve been out of the office, these emails are likely old news and can be deleted without too much pain.

Change the Sort

Clear the search box and quickly review the remaining emails by using the ‘sort’ function to look at what’s left.  If you normally sort by date, change the sort to ‘from’ or ‘sender’ to group emails into blocks to make faster decisions.  Also, sort by ‘attachment’ or ‘size’ to review emails with large attachments (files, video or photos).  Don’t use the inbox as a file cabinet.  If the attachment is important, download and save these files properly, then delete the emails.

Take Action

Answer emails that can be handled in two minutes or less.  Delete or archive emails after the action is complete to clear the inbox.

File Reference Emails

Create Folders for reference emails.  For example, create a folder named RECEIPTS or TAXES and move all emailed receipts or purchasing information to this folder.  These emails will be easy to find at tax time but won’t be clogging the inbox the rest of the year.